Protecting the public, the police, or the wealthy? Body cameras as social control.

• In Event: 2429 - Open Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Roundtable 16

Abstract

Inspired by recent controversial instances of excessive force by police across the country, we examine the variation in the use of video cameras worn by patrol officers across large U.S. municipal police departments. We test a conflict theory based perspective centered on the role of economic threat as well as an alternative set of factors that attribute decisions to implement body cameras to public reactions to police killings and police reactions to community violence.

Authors

• Stephanie L. Kent, Cleveland State University

• Jason Thomas Carmichael, McGill University